SMRT will be carrying out planned maintenance work on the Bukit Panjang Light Rail Transit (BPLRT) every Sunday from 15 April to 24 June 2018. As such, there will be no LRT services on Sundays during this period. In lieu of LRT train services on these 11 Sundays, shuttle buses which run parallel to the BPLRT network will be available (Refer to Annex A) for commuters as an alternative travel option. This is in addition to the existing bus services which already serve the Bukit Panjang town.

The operating hours of 14 SBS Transit bus services - Services 51A, 60A, 63M, 181, 222, 225G, 228, 229, 240, 241, 243G, 291, 292 and 293 - will be extended to 1.30am on Fridays and Saturdays in the month of April due to the early closure of all 35 stations along the East-West Line (EWL) from Tuas Link to Pasir Ris and from Tanah Merah to Changi Airport.

Transport operator SMRT will commence "live" testing of its new signalling system on the East-West Line (EWL) on five Sundays from this Sunday (April 29) to May 27, according to the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

During the full-day tests, which will happen when train services are operational, the line will connect Gul Circle and Joo Koon stations. This section of the line was disconnected after a train collision at Joo Koon station on Nov 15 last year.

Shuttle bus services between the two stations will not be available during the test dates.

By end-May, if all goes well, week-long live testing will commence. The system is expected to be fully ready by June.

The new communications-based train control system will allow trains to run closer together, and arrive at intervals of up to 100 seconds during peak hours, instead of 120 seconds currently.

Previously, tests of the new signalling system were done outside train operational hours. All 35 stations along the EWL have had their operating hours on weekends shortened since March 2, so as to provide more time for engineering staff to intensify testing of the new signalling system.

Commenting on the live testing, LTA deputy chief executive Chua Chong Kheng said: "Trials conducted during service hours are important, as they give us an opportunity to expeditiously identify and resolve issues that may only surface when the system is operating under real-world operating loads."

This included ensuring accurate train-to-platform door alignment at East-West Line stations, smooth acceleration and deceleration of trains along tunnels and viaducts along the East-West Line, as well as the interface with North-South Line (NSL) operations, said LTA in a statement.

The LTA and SMRT warned commuters that during the live tests, commuters may occasionally encounter instances of train and platform doors not opening or closing promptly, trains being held at stations longer than usual, or trains stopping momentarily between stations.

SMRT will be carrying out planned maintenance work on the Bukit Panjang Light Rail Transit (BPLRT) every Sunday from 15 April to 24 June 2018. As such, there will be no LRT services on Sundays during this period. In lieu of LRT train services on these 11 Sundays, shuttle buses which run parallel to the BPLRT network will be available (Refer to Annex A) for commuters as an alternative travel option. This is in addition to the existing bus services which already serve the Bukit Panjang town.

The operating hours of 14 SBS Transit bus services - Services 51A, 60A, 63M, 181, 222, 225G, 228, 229, 240, 241, 243G, 291, 292 and 293 - will be extended to 1.30am on Fridays and Saturdays in the month of April due to the early closure of all 35 stations along the East-West Line (EWL) from Tuas Link to Pasir Ris and from Tanah Merah to Changi Airport.